How to Recover an Xbox 360 Saved File

Debra PachuckiUpdated April 17, 2017

The beauty of next generation consoles like the Xbox 360 is they are capable of storing multimedia files like saved game data, music files, videos, photos, profile data and more. Your most recent saved game data will automatically load and become playable, along with your older saved game files, once the game is loaded on the Xbox 360 console. You must recover files from the 360 dashboard if you want to access, transfer or delete game data or other saved files from your hard drive or memory card,.

Make sure your hard drive or memory card is connected to your Xbox 360 Console. Turn on the unit.

Sign in to the gamertag account associated with the saved file you would like to access.

Press the silver Guide button located in the centre of the Xbox 360 controller to bring up the Xbox Guide menu.

Use the directional pad or left thumb stick to navigate to the "Settings" tab.

Use the directional pad or left thumb stick to scroll down to the "System Settings" menu option.

Scroll through the file types and select the kind of file you want to recover. Common file types include Games, Gamer Profiles, Demos, Videos, Themes, Gamer Pictures, Avatar Items, System Items and Music files.

Find the game, album or file you would like to recover. Press "A" when the content is highlighted.

Select the specific file you want to recover and choose to copy, move or delete the file by pressing the "A" button.

Move or copy a file to a different memory device to recover it on another Xbox 360 console or put the file onto another hard drive. Deleting a file will remove it permanently.

Press the "B" button to select another file. Press the Guide button to return to the Xbox Dashboard.

Tip

Press the "B" button to back out of a sub menu. Press the "Y" button instead of the "A" button in the "Storage Devices" menu to rename or format the device or to clear the system cache for optimised memory storage. You can only delete or transfer saved files associated with the gamertag profile you are currently signed into.

Warning

You cannot recover files deleted from the hardrive or memory storage device. Use caution when selecting saved files to prevent accidental deletion.

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About the Author

Debra Pachucki has been writing in the journalistic, scholastic and educational sectors since 2003. Pachucki holds a Bachelor's degree in education and currently teaches in New Jersey. She has worked professionally with children of all ages and is pursuing a second Masters degree in education from Monmouth University.